Anti-Circumcision "Intactivists" to Stage Funeral Protest

As our newest Strollerderby blogger Danielle reported this morning, little Joshua Haskins died yesterday from “complications from Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or HLHS, a congenital heart defect.” His mother, Jill, has been blogging about her son’s medical struggles – and her decision to have her son circumcized right before his untimely passing. A group of so-called “intactivists” have accused Jill of killing her son as a result of the circumcision surgery. While doctors have assured Jill that his circumcision had nothing to do with her son’s death, the bullying continues – and a group of intactivists have declared their horrific plans to stage a protest at her son’s upcoming funeral.

As I wrote yesterday, the idea that anyone would stage a hate-filled protest at the site of something as personal and gut-wrenching as the burial of a loved one is abhorrent. Jill feels she is being bullied by these insane people who have claimed her son as a “martyr” for their movement, and has reached out to Ellen DeGeneres via Twitter, saying, “intactivists are threatening to protest our sons viewing and funeral. bullying at it’s worst. please help?” (As you know, Ellen and a slew of other celebrities have recently spoken out against the bullying that has caused gay and straight teens alike to commit suicide.)

Jill, for the most part, seems to be holding herself together and has shown some appreciation for the intactivists on her blog, stating that “There have been quite a few women from the movement that have shaired in our grief and who have defended us. I am thankful that, although we don’t necessarily agree, they also have reached out to me as a mother and have offered support, love, and prayers.” She is also championing the attention her site has found as a way to share her religious beliefs. She writes, “If Joshua’s skewed story of death gets [people] here, then so be it. I don’t necessarily like it, but I also know that I have a powerful tool at my fingertips to share the Love of Christ.”

Joshua’s viewing was to be scheduled for tomorrow and his funeral for Saturday, though there is no official word on Jill’s blog about her plans.

Update: W.I.N. or Whole Indiana Newborns, who planned to stage the protest, seem to be holding off based on the backlash they’ve received. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

Update 10/8: I contacted Joshua’s mother, Jill, to ask her the source of the funeral protest information. This is her response:

“i had recieved a direct message from someone saying that they had heard there was going to be a protest at the funeral. After the way I have been treated through all of this, i fully believed that they (the intactivists) would in fact do that. we even have gone as far as to alert the police. they have already called our local newspaper who called me today for an interview. i’m sick about the way we have been treated, the stealing of my pictures and how the information of joshua’s death has been skewed.” This post is a report on that story.

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